1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image-forming device and a terminal, and particularly relates to a method for restricting use of a predetermined feeding cassette of the image-forming device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Currently, where printing is performed using forms or the like by a known image-forming device, such as a known printer, a sheet used for the printing often has a special value. For example, the sheet may have a preprint pattern thereon, so as to assure the value of a printed matter obtained by the printing, or the sheet may be watermarked, so as to assure the originality of the printed matter.
The sheet having the special value may be a receipt printed on a special sheet, or a certificate document that is issued by a public office and that is printed on the special sheet, for example. Although it is difficult to replicate the sheet, it is easy to falsify information that is printed on the sheet, where the information includes, for example, characters and rules. Therefore, once the special sheet is obtained, the above-described receipt and certificate document can be easily replicated.
In the past, the above-described special sheet including a pre-printed sheet, a watermarked sheet, and so forth was often placed in a predetermined sheet cassette of the image-forming device. If a user wanted to use the special sheet, the user explicitly specified the sheet cassette in which the special sheet is placed as a feeding source, and performed printing. However, there has always been a danger that a printed matter having a special value and/or meaning may be replicated with ease, once the special sheet is obtained and used.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-169745, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-144822, and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-220842 have proposed protecting a printed matter from theft by locking a discharge bin. However, these methods are ineffective for a person who issues a print request for an unauthorized purpose.
Accordingly, a function of controlling an access to a predetermined feeding cassette during printing has been needed. For achieving the above-described function, predetermined conditions for specifying the predetermined feeding cassette must be precisely set up, at the time where a function of specifying one of feeding cassettes of the image-forming device and performing printing is provided.
It is essential that the user not be able to perform printing by specifying the feeding cassette via predetermined print software.
Further, if the above-described conditions are met, feeding from the predetermined feeding cassette and printing by using a sheet placed therein should be allowed. Further, access to the predetermined feeding cassette should be physically restricted so that the user cannot take a sheet out of the predetermined feeding cassette.